Fungal Inocula
There is a great interest in different types of carriers of fungal inocula for uses such as biological control, fungal spawn, introduction of mycorrhizal fungi, and bioaugmentation. For example, carriers of fungal inocula for biological control include alginate hydrogel, with or without an additional nutrient source, (Walker, H. L. and W. J. Connick, Weed Sci. 31:333-338, 1983) and vermiculite (Walker, H. L., Weed Sci. 29:342-345, 1981). Examples of carriers for mycorrhizal fungal inocula include alginate hydrogel, with or without an additional nutrient source, (Mauperin, C. H., et al., Can. J. Bot. 65:2326-2329, 1987) and vermiculite and peat (Le Tacon, F., et al., Can. J. Bot. 63:1664-1668, 1985). Examples for carriers of fungal inocula for fungal spawn include grain, sawdust-grain mixtures, vermiculite saturated with nutrient broth (Stamets, P., Growing Gourmet and Medical Mushrooms, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 1993) and alginate hydrogel (Romaine, C. P. and B. Schlagnhaufer, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 58:3060-3066, 1992). Examples of carriers of fungal inocula for bioaugmentation of contaminated soil are described below.